University of Gloucestershire has secured nearly £500,000 from the Office for Students (OfS), in the latest round of a multi-million-pound national funding initiative to increase access to high-quality degree apprenticeships.

The OfS - the independent regulator of higher education in England - is investing £40 million over the next two years to increase degree apprenticeships, to meet the current and future skill needs of employers.

In the latest wave of funding to grow and increase equality of opportunity in Level 6 degree apprenticeships, it has allocated £14 million across selected higher education providers, including University of Gloucestershire.

The university has been awarded £466,754 for three programmes related to industries where there is a shortage of skilled professionals: healthcare science practitioner (ophthalmic imaging); healthcare science practitioner (vascular science); and facilities management.

The university secured support for its cyber security technical professional degree apprenticeship in the first wave of OfS funding, announced in January.

Alex Cottrell, head of external relationships for University of Gloucestershire, said: "The latest round of funding from the OfS will support our work to promote further growth in our degree apprenticeship programmes and make them more accessible to high-quality candidates from under-represented groups, so it's fabulous news.

"For learners, the benefits of degree apprenticeships include the opportunity to gain a degree while developing the specialist skills they need to succeed in their particular field of employment.

"More widely, degree apprenticeships contribute to local and regional prosperity and skills development, contribute to the diversity of provision in the education sector, and offer choice in how individuals develop higher level skills needed for economic and personal growth."